Visual Comedy and Creativity blog for performers and artistic problem solvers. There is an art to foolery and foolery in all the arts.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

How to Think Like a Fool #10: Use Weaknesses as Strengths

RISK: Use Your Weaknesses as StrengthsRight now I am sitting in the airport, waiting for my delayed flight home. I am getting so sleepy, it's difficult to type, but at the same time, the writing is flowing faster because I'm too tired to censor my thoughts. Zzzzzzzz...

If you haven't noticed by now on this blog, I have taken something normally associated with stupidity and disaster—thinking like a fool—and advocate that there are positive benefits to thinking foolishly, especially in the realm of creative problem solving. Water can drown you or save your life. And there are two or more sides to your perceived weaknesses as well.

My onstage persona is one example of marshaling personal imperfections for professional achievement. My continuing hair-loss becomes a source of power and pride as the remaining hairs are sculpted and fearlessly featured. I also transform my everyday shy and quiet behavior into onstage silence occasionally punctuated by vocal emotional expressions. And I'm very pale (don't know how this makes me stronger, but it doesn't kill me).

Your alleged weaknesses may be physical, intellectual, emotional, behavioral, imaginary, defined by yourself, defined by others, or just the baggage we share as humans. There's probably at least one skill you think you could never learn or are terrible at.

If you can't eliminate your imperfections, put them to work.

Think: What flaws do I have or other people think I have? When can I champion them? How can I use these for good instead of evil?

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About Drew the Dramatic Fool

Drew Richardson"If Teller of ‘Penn & Teller’ had ever become pregnant by Harpo Marx, Drew Richardson would be the one to arrive out of that strange scientific amalgamation." —Film Threat

I've been studying, teaching, and performing Visual Comedy Theater for the past 20 years. I was also the first person in the 21st century to make new short silent movies for mainstream movie theaters.http://www.dramaticfool.com